Mahalia Jackson at the Morrison Hotel (9/20/1957)

May 17, 2019, 11:00 pm

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Mahalia Jackson

Studs Terkel was born on May 16, 1912. As he often observed, that was the year “the Titanic went down, and I came up! Fate sings its own kind of poetry.” Tonight the Best of Studs Terkel presents an archive favorite, and one of the programs that Studs loved best. This broadcast took place in 1957 at the old Morrison Hotel on the Near West Side of Chicago, where WFMT’s studios were first located. We’re in the ballroom, which is filled to capacity. Studs is in his element, hosting a live concert with his friend, gospel great Mahalia Jackson.

Meet the Host

Studs Terkel (1912-2008) radically redefined the concept of radio interviews. For 45 years starting in 1952, WFMT was his homebase. His daily radio show was a pillar of WFMT’s programming, with its eclectic and astute mix of music and conversation. Studs juxtaposed interviews with the many of the 20th century’s most significant figures with the voices of uncelebrated, working people from Chicago. As a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Studs helped established oral history as a popular and socially ambitious literary genre. Some of his titles include: Division Street, Hard Times, Working, Race and And They All Sang (Adventures of an Eclectic Disc Jockey). Studs was also a recipient of the National Book Award.